The torch-lighting ceremony for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo was held last week, and the International Olympic Committee has consistently said the games are still planned despite the global coronavirus pandemic. That’s what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says too, framing the Olympics as a chance to overcome the virus and…
The G7 nations completed a conference call on Monday to discuss the global health and economic risk caused by the coronavirus pandemic, as the European Union issued its set of proposals to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Some of the G7 nations are now among the hardest-hit on the planet,…
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa has risen to 17, with news that a 32-year-old man in Free State is the first person to become ill through known community contact. The man was in contact with a Chinese businessman, according to the South African ministry of health….
The Southern African Development Community has recommended temporary suspension of all in-person SADC meetings in its 16-nation region, urging instead the use of video conferencing, webinars and other tech-based solutions during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The decision was announced during a COVID-19 meeting of health ministers held in Tanzania on…
When Nigeria discovered its first coronavirus patient – an Italian citizen who works in the country – public health officials weren’t the only ones who responded quickly. So did a group of scientists and researchers who got to work and sequenced the genome of the COVID-19 virus found in the…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
South Africa’s second confirmed case of COVID-19, the new coronavirus sweeping across the globe, comes as the African continent is seeing an uptick in positive tests for the illness. Dr. Zweli Mkhize, the country’s health minister, said the second patient from Gauteng province – home to Johannesburg and Pretoria –…
South Africa has confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus, announcing on Thursday the positive results of a citizen returning from Italy. “The patient is a 38-year-old male who traveled to Italy with his wife. They were part of a group of 10 people and they arrived back in…
The Basketball Africa League announced Wednesday that its inaugural season – set to begin next week in Dakar – has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. League president Amadou Gallo Fall said he was making the decision after consulting with the Senegalese government, which is now dealing with four…
Officials in Kenya say they have no confirmed coronavirus cases to date, but they’re addressing a different kind of contagion – the spread of COVID-19 disinformation – with some hefty fines. “The fake news is alarmist, inciteful and its sole purpose is to cause fear and spread panic to the…
Two South African citizens working aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship are being treated in Japan after testing positive for the coronavirus, the government’s health ministry said. Dr. Lwazi Manzi, speaking to South African media on Friday, said the two were among 3,711 passengers and crew who were quarantined aboard…
Algeria has confirmed the first case of coronavirus within its borders according to health minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid, who announced the finding to the nation on state-owned ENTV Tuesday evening. The patient is an Italian citizen who arrived in the country on February 17 and has been placed in isolation, the…
Officials in Mauritius held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss how to deal with the coronavirus epidemic, ultimately deciding to deny entry to anyone who has been in South Korea or the three northern Italian provinces most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The outcome of the meeting, led by…
Three Africans have been named as special envoys on the coronavirus, as the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed growing concern Friday over the COVID-19 spread in Iran, South Korea and beyond the borders of China. The three envoys will serve to provide strategic advice and high-level political advocacy and engagement…
Tech giant Apple says its operations in China, where much of its iPhone manufacturing is concentrated, have been seriously disrupted by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. “Work is starting to resume around the country, but we are experiencing a slower return to normal conditions than we had anticipated,” said Apple in…
More than 500 leaders have gathered for the Munich Security Conference in Germany this weekend, among them the presidents of Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad to lead discussions on the situation in the Sahel. Yet this year, it’s the global coronavirus outbreak that has taken center stage. The latest numbers…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times